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13 Ways To Make Your Organizational Constitution Meaningful For Your Employees

Forbes Human Resources Council
POST WRITTEN BY
Expert Panel, Forbes Human Resources Council

Organizational constitutions are required reading for new employees. Despite this, these documents are sometimes so out of touch with a company culture that many employees read the material once (if at all) and then forget all about it.

Such an important document shouldn't be that easy to put aside and forget. An organizational constitution outlines a company's structure, its by-laws and all the essential information for the procedures within the company.

However, making it a memorable document is easier said than done. Below, 13 members of Forbes Human Resources Council explore how businesses can make their organizational constitutions more meaningful and actionable for their employees.

Photos courtesy of the individual members.

1. Preach What You Practice

Reference it any time you can. Our core values are at the root of every decision we make and are guiding principles we expect our team to live by. To say they're important is an understatement. We reference our core values during company-wide presentations, our annual retreat, semi-annual engagement survey, professional development day, performance reviews, 15Five and any other chance we get. - Courtney Mudd, Influence & Co.

2. Align Your Values To The Constitution

Company leaders should be living the values of the organization every day and instilling them into the corporate culture. Employees really find their work meaningful when they can see how it contributes to the company's success. When they understand the organization's overall purpose and how the people are valued, they will begin to align their thoughts and behaviors with the company's goals. - Cameron Bishop, SkillPath

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3. Measure The Application Of The Constitution

An organization's constitution is the house rules that articulate the standards of respectful behavior and communication while a member of the “household.” It’s important then to measure the application of the constitution through the performance review process; thereby reinforcing that what they do and how they do it is important enough to impact the overall evaluation of their performance. - Bridgette Wilder, Wilder HR Management & EEO Consulting

4. Recognize Employees Who Live Your Values

A great way to ensure employees remember and live the company values is to reward them for doing so. We give out quarterly awards to the employees who have best demonstrated our company values in the last quarter. We ask those employees to share what those values mean to them, which makes them much more real for everyone in the organization. - Jennifer Dill, Data Innovations LLC

5. Tie To Your Hiring Criteria

If you base hiring criteria on your values, your values will regularly be a focus. At our company, interviewers, either through our applicant tracking system or through a brief meeting, assess a candidate's fit on key attributes and value alignment, helping inform the manager's hiring decision. - Stacey Browning, Paycor

6. Make It Real For Them

I love talking about theories and concepts all day, but if they are not real and actionable in my day-to-day, then what good does it do? Bring your constitution to life, make the writing real and at the employees' level. Work to show how to live the values and policies in their everyday work. Give testimonials of employees that have successfully lived a certain value or stepped up on a policy. - Kelly Loudermilk, Academic Impressions

7. Demonstrate Differently

Surprise and delight with something different but aligned. Our company created a short video called "My Dream." Employees from around the world shared dreams, from running a marathon and climbing a mountain to visiting all the continents—personal insights aligned with many of our values, including people, challenge and globality. It was fun, creative, inclusive and inspiring! - Lisa Bastian, MOBIS

8. Review Often

Take time to incorporate company values and policies into each department meeting. Managers can pick one item at the beginning or end of each meeting to review with the team. They may provide an example that relates to the organization. Employees are more likely to become familiar with the company policies and understand expectations, if they are reviewed often with the team members. - Debi Bliazis, Champions School of Real Estate

9. Demonstrate Its Value On Social Media

An organizational constitution is just words, and actions always speak louder than words. One of the best ways for companies to ensure their organizational constitution remains meaningful is to share photos on their social platforms of employees and leaders demonstrating their values. This will inspire current and prospective employees to do the same, while helping to build the employer brand. - John Feldmann, Insperity

10. Tell Your Stories

Nothing is more powerful or memorable than telling a great story to illustrate your company values. Leaders should use storytelling, metaphors and lore to share how they used company values to guide their decisions, set strategy, engage their workforce and compete in the market. A good story goes viral and quickly spreads through the company. - Danielle Monaghan, Uber

11. Create An Immersive Office Environment

A way to reinforce your values is to create an immersive environment in your office by displaying keywords or concepts through large graphics and images overlaid on the walls or columns. For example, one company has a 20-foot-high photo of a rock climber stretching for a handhold in its lobby. The first thing people see when they enter is a huge aspirational image that fits the employer’s brand. - Genine Wilson, Kelly Services

12. Start With You

Company values and policies are best executed when employees observe consistent behaviors from the leadership team. When leaders witness a behavior that is inconsistent with the company's values, they must address it immediately. Don't wait for the "right time" or when the employee repeats the same behavior. It is best to have the difficult conversation and collaborate on a solution. - Quyen Nguyen, American Medical Technologies

13. Maintain Focus On Employee Experience

Maintaining laser focus on employee experience is crucial—it should showcase your values and follow your policies. Remember, culture is not what we say, but what we do. Therefore, rewarding and recognizing good employee behaviors on a continual basis helps to both reinforce and celebrate cumulatively. - Paul Phillips, Avanade